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Thursday, December 25, 2025
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Merry Christmas To Our Incredible Islandstats Family
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 As the sun sets on another spectacular year of Bermudian sports, we want to take a moment to step off the field, put down the whistle, and say thank you.
2025 has been a year of record-breaking performances and unforgettable moments. But today, the most important "stats" aren't on a scoreboard—they are the moments spent with family, the laughter shared with friends, and the gratitude we feel for our vibrant island home.
May your Christmas be filled with:
The Strength of an athlete.
The Joy of a championship win.
The Peace of a well-earned off-season.
From all of us here at Islandstats.com, we wish you a very Merry Christmas.
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Monday, December 22, 2025
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FIFA Announce New Technology Testing
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FIFA is testing new technology which can determine if the ball went out of play before a goal was scored.
The 'Out of Bounds' innovation is one of a series which were tested in three Intercontinental Cup matches in Qatar this month.
FIFA has also expanded 'Real-time 3D Recreation' to make line-of-sight judgements for offsides quicker and clearer.
There are two virtual feeds, available to the video assistant referee (VAR) and TV viewers, which replicate the perspectives of both goalkeepers.
The new technologies have been developed by FIFA and Hawk-Eye Innovations. It remains to be seen if they would become available to domestic leagues.
The Premier League has produced many controversial incidents in recent seasons which this technology could have helped resolve.
Two seasons ago Arsenal were furious when VAR ruled Joe Willock had kept the ball in play before Anthony Gordon scored the only goal of the game for Newcastle. The VAR did not have the necessary camera angle to prove the ball was out.
There have been several 'line of sight' offside incidents this season. When Eberechi Eze scored for Arsenal against Tottenham last month there were claims Leandro Trossard was blocking Guglielmo Vicario's view of the ball.
The 'Out of Bounds' technology uses the same tracking data points and configurations as advanced semi-automated offside.
It is still only in offline testing but was provided with the opportunity to show how reliable it was in Qatar.
Paris St-Germain's Fabian Ruiz had a goal ruled out through VAR in the Intercontinental Cup final against Flamengo because the ball had gone out.
FIFA also held further trials of immediate offside audio alerts sent to assistants, which debuted at the Club World Cup in the summer.
This is intended to reduce the number of delayed offside flags in obvious situations.
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Friday, December 19, 2025
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Islandstats.com to Announce 2025 Sports Awards Winners
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The anticipation is building as the countdown begins for the Islandstats.com Sports Awards of the Year 2025. A total of eleven prestigious awards will be handed out during a live broadcast event scheduled for Tuesday, December 29th, celebrating the outstanding achievements across the island's sporting landscape throughout the past year.
The annual awards ceremony aims to recognize athletes, teams, and moments that defined sporting success for the year.
The eleven categories cover a wide spectrum of achievement, honouring both established seniors and emerging young talent, as well as those competing collegiately and on the international stage.
The key awards to be presented are:
Senior Male Athlete of the Year
Senior Female Athlete of the Year
Junior Male Athlete of the Year
Junior Female Athlete of the Year
Male College Athlete of the Year
Female College Athlete of the Year
Team of the Year
Coach of the Year
Breakthrough Athlete of the Year
International Performance of the Year
Moment of the Year
Lifetime Achievement Award
The live broadcast on December 29th will unveil the winners in each category, marking the culmination of a successful sporting year for the island.
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Wednesday, December 17, 2025
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FIFA slashes ticket prices following global backlash
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FIFA has performed a rare U-turn by slashing the price of select World Cup tickets for loyal fans following a massive global backlash. In a dramatic climbdown, some supporters will now be able to secure $60 seats for the final instead of the originally quoted $4,185.
The governing body confirmed that these $60 tickets will be available for every game of the 104-match tournament across North America. However, the offer is strictly reserved for the national federations of competing teams, who will decide how to distribute them to "loyal fans" with proven attendance records. Bermudian fans are not initially eligible for this specific tier as Bermuda did not qualify for the tournament.
While FIFA stated the lower prices are "designed to further support travelling fans," the move follows a week of intense criticism. Fan groups, including Football Supporters Europe, had previously labeled the original pricing structure a "monumental betrayal," noting that costs for the 2026 edition were nearly five times higher than those for Qatar 2022.
The 2026 World Cup will be a historic first, featuring:
48 teams competing, up from the traditional 32.
A record-breaking 104 matches held across 16 host cities.
Projected revenues for FIFA exceeding $10 billion.
The backlash was fueled by a perceived breach of trust regarding the original bid. When the United States, Canada, and Mexico won the hosting rights eight years ago, they pledged that hundreds of thousands of tickets would be available for as little as $21.
Instead, fans were met last week with group-stage prices ranging from $120 to $265 for non-host matches. Even with the new $60 "Supporter Entry Tier," critics argue it is merely an "appeasement tactic," as these tickets will reportedly only make up roughly 10% of each national federation’s small allocation.
The random selection draw for all ticket categories remains open until January 13th 2026.
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Monday, December 15, 2025
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LA 2028 Olympics Pledges Accessible Ticket Prices
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Organizers for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, known as LA28, have announced that at least one million tickets for the event will be priced at an affordable $28.00, making a clear statement about accessibility for fans. This commitment was confirmed as organizers revealed that supporters can begin registering their interest in attending the Games starting next month.
Every sport at the 2028 Olympic Games will have tickets available at the $28.00 price point, and overall, a significant one-third of all tickets for the event will be sold for "under $100". LA28 chief Allison Katz-Mayfield emphasized the meaningful nature of this pricing strategy, stating, "That's not just lip service to a couple tickets in the corner of some venue, but a meaningful number of tickets."
The announcement comes amidst considerable criticism directed at ticket prices for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US, Mexico, and Canada. Group-stage tickets for the football tournament are set to be up to three times the prices of those sold for the previous tournament in Qatar in 2022. The cheapest ticket for the World Cup final is projected to cost a massive $4,168 to $4,180, with the cheapest ticket for England's opening match against Croatia priced at $264.49.
LA28 is aiming for a fairer system, with fans able to enter a random ticket draw covering all Olympic sports from January 14th. Those successfully selected will be given a time slot in April to purchase tickets. Katz-Mayfield described this random draw process as "the fairest way to ensure that the broadest number of people can get access to tickets and that no one is advantaged or disadvantaged." She noted that there is no advantage to registering early, and registration will be open until March 18th.
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